The Ben Shapiro Show Ep. 2353: "Another Ridiculous Media LIE About ICE!"

Date: January 23, 2026
Host: Ben Shapiro (and occasional guests/contributors)
Podcast Focus: Conservative news analysis with a focus on media criticism, culture, politics, and current events.

Episode Overview

In this episode, Ben Shapiro unpacks what he decries as misleading media coverage of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), specifically regarding a story about a five-year-old allegedly "arrested" and "used as bait" in Minneapolis. He examines the real facts behind the incident, criticizes media narratives, and explores broader legal and political debates about immigration enforcement, prosecutorial overreach, and culture war politics. The show also delves into the fallout from activists disrupting church services, covers reactions from political figures, addresses 2026 electoral dynamics and polling, offers foreign policy commentary, and finishes with cultural notes on Oscar nominations and political appearances in pop culture media.

Main Segment: Media Coverage of ICE and the Minneapolis Incident (05:15–14:00)

The Media “LIE” and What Actually Happened

• Media Narrative: The mainstream press, led by the New York Times, claimed that ICE detained a five-year-old boy as "bait" to catch his father, featuring images and emotive coverage to stoke outrage.
• Facts According to DHS & Shapiro:
  • The boy was with his father when ICE arrived.
  • The father ran and left the child unattended in the car (not abducted by ICE).
  • ICE tried to let the mother take custody, but she refused.
  • ICE also refused to leave the child with an unrelated adult whose identity was not verified.
  • The child and his father, both asylum seekers from Ecuador, are being held together at a Texas detention center.
• Ben’s Analysis:
  • Blames bad parenting for abandoning a child (06:15).
  • Stresses agents cannot simply hand off children; references 32,000+ unaccompanied minors who disappeared in the system (07:00).
  • Emphasizes ICE procedures are lawful, if imperfect, and new, more aggressive policy precedents are under legal review.

Notable Quote

“If you’re detained alongside your child and you take off and your kid is five, well, that might say something about your parenting style, to say the very least.” — Ben Shapiro (06:15)

• Highlights confusion around administrative vs. judicial warrants for ICE home entry.
• Points out media exaggeration and “baiting” narrative as factually incorrect.

Vice President J.D. Vance Chimes In

(07:25)

• Vance, also a father of a five-year-old, says:

“If the argument is that you can’t arrest people who have violated laws because they have children, then every single parent is going to be completely given immunity... No one thinks that makes any sense.” — J.D. Vance (08:00)

• Both Ben and Vance argue ICE’s actions were reasonable under the circumstances.

Local Jurisdictions, Cooperation, and Sanctions

(12:26)

• Vance says local Minneapolis authorities create chaos by refusing to cooperate with ICE, contrasting with cities like Memphis and Austin.

“The natural conclusion is that it’s not what ICE is doing... it’s what Minneapolis authorities are doing to prevent ICE from doing their jobs.” — J.D. Vance (13:00)

Legal and Political Fallout: Protests, Church Disruption, and The FACE Act (13:56–24:40)

DOJ Prosecutes Protesters for Church Disruption

• Background: Protesters, including attorney Nakima Levy Armstrong, stormed a church service to protest an ICE official who also serves as a pastor.
• Prosecuted Under FACE Act:
  • Originally designed to protect both abortion clinics and churches from disruption.
  • DOJ arrest three, including Armstrong; attempted but failed to indict Don Lemon (CNN).
• Controversy:
  • White House digitally altered arrest photos, drawing further scrutiny.
  • Ben: Both legacy and social media “make things up” for narrative purposes.

Notable Quotes

• Church attorney Renee Carlson:

  “The First Amendment does not allow premeditated plots or coordinated actions to violate the sanctity of a sanctuary, disrupt worship, and intimidate small children.” (16:50)

• True North Legal’s Doug Wardlaw:

  “…arrest and prosecutions…will help ensure mob aggression…will not be repeated in any other house of worship.” (17:30)

Nakima Levy Armstrong’s Defense

(18:10)

• Claims to have been “welcomed” into church, but Shapiro disputes the logic.

“You don’t get to go into somebody else’s church…wait five minutes and then break out into a disruption…That is not right.” — Ben Shapiro (19:20)

• Shapiro uses an analogy about entering someone's house under false pretenses.

Political Responses & Fallout

• Judge blocks DOJ case against Don Lemon citing connections to Minnesota AG Keith Ellison.
• Ellison downplays disruptions, defending “freedom of expression.”
• Rep. Tom Emmer rebukes Ellison:

  “Interrupting a faith community…is not an exercise of your First Amendment rights.” — Tom Emmer (24:00)

2026 Elections: Polls, Law Enforcement, Policy Extremes (24:40–32:42)

Democrats' and Republicans' Electoral Calculus

• Democrats:
  • Nate Silver notes Democrats up on the generic ballot (+5 points), but outcomes may range from a blowout to a tight race due to margin of error.
  • Many Democratic leaders, e.g., Eric Swalwell, propose radical measures like making ICE agents unemployable in CA (27:05).
• Republicans:
  • Shapiro criticizes GOP for failing to articulate ICE’s focus on serious criminals, notes negative polling (57% of voters, 64% of independents disapprove of ICE).
  • Cites Democratic overreach on taxes, crime, immigration as poor politics, especially in Virginia.

Notable Political Quote

“Why each party seems to feel the necessity to swivel all the way out to the left is absolutely beyond me. It makes no sense at all. And it is bad electoral politics, just bad.” — Ben Shapiro (28:30)

• Gavin Newsom (D-CA) attempts to moderate his rhetoric but, per Ben, maintains a radical policy record.

Foreign Policy Roundup (32:42–49:22)

Cuba and Venezuela

• Trump administration pushes for regime change in Cuba, encouraged by the fall of Maduro in Venezuela; Ben frames this as a potential hemispheric game changer.

Iran

• Trump administration dispatches U.S. naval assets to counter possible mass executions in Iran. Trump claims to have stopped “837 hangings.”
• Ben is skeptical of Iranian transparency, warns against U.S. ground invasion but argues credibility on red lines is essential.

Europe & Transatlantic Relations

• German Chancellor Friedrich Merz calls for EU deregulation and revitalization, echoing U.S. critiques.

“We have become the world champion of over regulation.” — Chancellor Friedrich Merz (40:49)

• U.S. threatens withdrawal from Syria; Ben laments abandonment of Kurdish allies, criticizes Turkish involvement in the region.
• Cautions against entrusting Hamas-affected Gaza reconstruction to questionable regional players like Turkey and Qatar.

Gaza Reconstruction & Jared Kushner’s Plan

• Kushner presents a $25B vision for a rebuilt, demilitarized Gaza:

“We have a plan. We signed an agreement. We are all committed to making that agreement work…stuff like this is very doable if we make it happen.” — Jared Kushner (47:42)

• Ben is critical: the real challenge is demilitarizing Hamas, denazification of Gaza, and UNRWA reform

Culture Segment: Media, Politics, and the Oscars (50:52–55:08)

Michelle Obama on "Call Her Daddy"

• Reporter Lyndon Blake recaps Michelle Obama’s appearance on the pop-culture podcast:
  • Irony in discussing objectification of women on a show built on sexual provocation.
  • Michelle Obama laments name changes in marriage—Ben and Lyndon find this trivial.
  • Conversation is seen as performative, “projection,” and disconnected from average male/female perspectives.

Notable Exchange:

“Do you remember what my wedding dress looks like?”
“It was white.” — Lyndon Blake, relaying her husband’s indifference (54:42)

2026 Oscar Nominations

• Ben critiques leading films (e.g., One Battle After Another, Sinners) as “overrated” and “leftist.”
• Notes snubs, particularly Ariana Grande in Wicked for Good.
• Prominent films discussed: Hamnet, F1, Frankenstein, The Secret Agent, Marty Supreme, Train Dreams, Begonia.
• Concludes this year’s Oscar crop is "underwhelming."

Notable Quotes Recap (with Timestamps)

• Ben Shapiro (06:15):
  “If you’re detained alongside your child and you take off and your kid is five, well, that might say something about your parenting style, to say the very least.”
• J.D. Vance (08:00):
  “If the argument is that you can’t arrest people who have violated laws because they have children, then every single parent is going to be completely given immunity... No one thinks that makes any sense.”
• Renee Carlson, Church Attorney (16:50):
  “The First Amendment does not allow premeditated plots or coordinated actions to violate the sanctity of a sanctuary, disrupt worship, and intimidate small children.”
• Tom Emmer (24:00):
  “Interrupting a faith community…is not an exercise of your First Amendment rights.”
• Chancellor Friedrich Merz (40:49):
  “We have become the world champion of over regulation.”
• Jared Kushner (47:42):
  “We have a plan. We signed an agreement. We are all committed to making that agreement work…”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• ICE/Minneapolis story breakdown: 05:15–14:00
• Legal fallout, church protest & FACE Act: 13:56–24:40
• 2026 election analysis & policy extremes: 24:40–32:42
• Foreign policy roundup: 32:42–49:22
• Gaza & Kushner’s plan: 47:42–49:22
• Call Her Daddy/Michelle Obama segment: 50:52–55:08
• 2026 Oscars/culture commentary: 55:08–end

Tone & Language

• Shapiro is combative, sarcastic, and critical, especially of legacy media, the Democratic Party, and activist narratives.
• The segment features frequent analogies and quips (“hold my beer for immigration policy”, “projection” in culture commentary).
• Guests and quoted contributors maintain a factual, legalistic, or sometimes exasperated tone.

Summary

Ben Shapiro’s episode challenges mainstream media’s portrayal of ICE, particularly the Minneapolis incident, parsing facts vs. narrative. He extends criticism to local government non-cooperation, media and political overreach in protesting immigration policy, and internal Democratic Party dynamics. Legal issues arising from church-based activism are discussed with sharp commentary about the First Amendment and the FACE Act. Electoral politics and polling are covered alongside worries about both parties’ extremism and mishandling of their bases. Foreign policy is treated with skepticism and concern for U.S. leverage and reliability abroad. The episode closes with Shapiro’s derisive take on recent pop-culture events and Oscar nominations, blending hard news with sharp culture war analysis.

For listeners seeking a critical, right-leaning perspective on media, law, and culture, this episode delivers in Shapiro’s characteristic rapid-fire, unyielding style.